1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to navigation charts wherein the said chart suitable for piloting appears on a plurality (preferably ten) panels. The panels consist of individual laminated rectangular indicia carriers relatively stiff. These said panels are flexibly coupled at their contiguous parallel edges so as to allow complete movement approximately 360.degree. relative to each other. This transparent flexible coupling allows epicycle multiplicity movements relative to each other. In addition the indicia carrier panels are easily observable in the full open position, partial open position, or single panel closed position.
2. Description of Related Art
Piloting is commonly defined as navigating a craft in optical or electronic sight of land. Electronic sight can include the use of RADAR equipment to identify objects on land. The position of the craft in the air or on the water is calculated by a navigational method known as triangulation. Triangulation consists of obtaining a magnetic compass or gyrocompass bearing of an optical or electronic line of sight from the small craft to two or more specific landmarks on land. The landmarks are identified on a chart of land and lines are drawn on the chart from the representations of the objects at angles corresponding to the angles of the lines of sight. The point of intersection of the lines drawn on the chart is the navigational position or "fix" of the small craft.
Piloting charts present sufficient detail of land to represent specific landmarks that can be recognized from an airplane or a vessel on the water and in sight of land depicted by the chart. Piloting charts of this nature are too large and cumbersome for use on a small plane or craft that has no chart table. Piloting charts, because of their size, must often be folded in order to be handled on a small plane or craft. If the chart is carried in a waterproof chart pocket, folding the chart by removing the chart from the pocket exposes the chart to the elements. If the chart is folded along with the chart pocket, the chart pocket can be permanently creased or destroyed.
It is also common with navigational charts, and the like, to roll the large chart into a relative configuration for storage. As is well known the unrolling, viewing, and rerolling of navigational charts is extremely difficult, cumbersome, frustrating, and can be dangerous for small plane or watercraft navigation. See Exhibit 4, herein contained on page 20.
While it is known to laminate paper documents between transparent sheets of film to protect the document, laminated folding navigation charts are not common. The use of the film will stiffen the navigation chart resisting rolling and folding and larger laminated charts are not commonly employed in small planes and craft navigation wherein the document is routinely handled.
Special folio type charts, known as small craft charts are published for areas that have a significant amount of small craft traffic. These charts have several fold-out segments stapled together in protective covers, along with tidal and harbor facility information. These charts are considered easier to use in a confined cockpit in a skiff or daysailer than are the large format navigational charts used on larger vessels. The user of these charts can obtain navigational information by flipping through charts printed on small sheets of paper and attached together in a "book" format. The user of small craft charts cannot obtain a "total picture" without disassembling the charts from one another and fitting them together. A "book" format as used in small craft charts does not lend itself to navigational plotting because sight lines from a landmark often cross over onto another chart.
While it is recently known and acknowledged that large charts, maps, or indicia carriers could be laminated in panels and each of these panels could be hingedly connected to comprise a complete folding indicia carrier, it is not known that a hingedly connection for a navigation chart is generally accepted or is currently in common use. Refer to photograph exhibits 1, 2, 3, and 5 of the working model of this invention which show a laminated flexible coupled folding navigation chart on pages 17, 18, 19, and 21 respectively.